A Dragon and Its Rider
by Inochi no Fushigi
Summary: Panzer Dragoon: Orta - In the snow-covered landscape of the Eternal Glacies, Orta truly sees him for the first time.


I saw him. I saw his massive wings, his piercing and black slit pupils that could bore holes into one's mind just by gazing at them. I saw the power yet desperation he embodied, and I saw the fierce determination in which he practically lived and breathed. However, I saw none of that now.

Upon the ground, under the fluttering blanket of snow wrapped around his body, I saw a weakened creature huddled helplessly under the blank, gray sky overhead. Snow-capped mountains loomed in every direction into the distance, confining us with no sight of anything other than the bleakness of white snow and the cold of the world around us. His wings were in tatters, his limbs laid askew, and his eyes were closed.

I reached out to him then with slow, shaking, and uncertain fingers. A strange feeling distorted my mind and gripped at my insides as I gazed upon him. What was this? I was so cold… so very cold… How long had I been unconscious in this empty wasteland? How long had we both lain helplessly in the snow to meet our demise at the merciless temperature? And what was this feeling I got now as my eyes wandered over the helpless form of a creature I'd come to find protection in?

This creature—this dragon—was my protector, and he had risked far too much to take me this far. From my rescue back in my prison to my battles against The Empire, he had always been there to battle alongside me, or for me in the cases where I was rendered helpless. He had brought me this far because of something I couldn't identify, an obligation of some sort. And now, here he was before me, wounded and unable to move because he had taken that explosion for me. He had taken that massive explosion so that I could not be hurt. I knew it well in my heart that he took me into battle knowing full well of the things that awaited us there—from the persistent Dragonmare squadron to the already massive forces of The Empire—and here was the result of such a battle. I lost too much by now…

I lost Mobo who I considered the first of my friends in my lifetime. He and his people had kindly taken me in when I had nowhere else to go. In the most recent battle, he undoubtedly lost his life after the hit he'd taken, and I remember distinctly how it took all the power within me to tear my eyes away from him and continue onward now alone. I remember the feeling I got when Evren and her squadron intercepted me, and I remember more than anything else Evren's commands to dispatch me. Me… a lonely drone whose only purpose was in war… Me… an unwanted creature who'd been chained all my life because of the being I was born as. The last drone, correct? Yes… But then… What of Abadd? He was a drone, right? My brow furrowed as my thoughts left me with no answers and far too many questions.

Jolting myself from my own thoughts, I finally allowed my hand to touch him. The awkward armor covering certain regions of his body was freezing to my touch—regardless of how freezing my own hands were—and I instinctively pulled away. He stirred; a low growl rumbled deep within his throat and shook the air around me in a gentle disruption to the silence. One eye eased open.

He looked at me at that moment and I froze in my spot. Leaden eyes examined me before briefly scanning the world around us both, and I saw him shift from his snowy encasement. I backed away slightly as he heaved his own massive weight from the ground and shook off the snow in one brusque movement, tensing weak muscles to keep from capsizing. And then his visible eye darted back into mine. Another low growl emitted from him before the sound transformed into a fierce roar that ripped through the silence and left his throat as an echo carried high into the blank sky.

I allowed my eyes to travel upward as well and stared at the thick white that loomed overhead; nothing but falling snow to block our vision and the occasional remnants of fleecy, threaded clouds. A blizzard was well on its way…if we couldn't consider what was already upon us as a blizzard, that is.

Out of the corner of my eye, he shifted his weight and crouched as his wings lowered, a gesture asking me to mount him. For the third time since our awakening, he growled, but this time, it was an ushering command to me as he motioned his head towards himself. I read the actions clearly and quickly hopped onto his back, taking up the ancient gun that had long since been discarded when we fell. His eyes focused on the scenery ahead—I could tell he was looking for a promising direction to lead us out of this land—and after a few seconds, I felt an abrupt jolt and we were immediately off.

He ran in quick, carefully measured strides, being sure to keep his now useless wings to his sides to keep from getting in his way. My thin, platinum hair billowed haplessly about me, occasionally whipping my cheeks and awakening a sensation under my skin other than the biting cold. I lowered myself onto his back so as to not provide wind resistance, and through the growing blizzard, we both rushed forward into what could very well be our last battle. A battle with the bitterness of nature, or a battle with possible foes ahead… We didn't know which it would be. But, for the world's last dragon and its rider, every battle had a chance of being the last.

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**A/N:** Originally posted on my MediaMiner account under the name Kohaku if any of you recognize it, though I've made a few adjustments to it. I wrote this back in 2005, and though I won't edit the one on my MediaMiner account, I couldn't help removing some cringe-worthy things before putting it here.

I wish a Panzer Dragoon section existed on this site. I'm surprised there aren't more fanfictions on here for it. I tried to get a Panzer Dragoon section added back in 2005 so I could put this up, but it's been four years and it doesn't seem to be happening, so... here it is! At last! :D


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